The Most Powerful Mortal on Earth
by Death-San
Summary: Suzanne is a normal college student with a broken past that she's determined to leave behind. She can't see to shake it until she meet's Loki. Natasha Romanoff tries to protect her friend but find that Suzanne just might be what Loki needs, someone to love and give it in return. Though, Loki has something sinister planned but, can he possibly continue them? (Series of stories.)
1. A Chance Meeting

Loki leaned against one of the trees that were sporadically placed about to help with beautifying the city. He had decided to move from his spot for he didn't see what he was looking for.

"How hard is it to find a single mortal female?" He grumbled to himself. As he started to walk down the sidewalk, he took no notice of a college girl who was running late and in his path. Needless to say, they collided into each other since neither paid much mind to where they were going.

"Umph! Watch i-" he looked to see the person he had run into. He was angry yes but found himself calmed when he laid eyes upon the mortal.

"I'm so sorry! I should have looked but I had to study and I woke up late and, and...Again, I'm really sorry." The girl who ran into him was apologizing profusely and picking up her notebook and loose papers filled with notes. Loki shook his head and bent down to help her. She was taken aback by this kind act. As he helped her, he got a better look at her. Average height and weight, brown hair with matching eye color. He took note of the red gold highlights in her hair. Her eyes had this effect on him. As if there was a spell on them to bewitch men. He shook some of the stray thoughts that crept up on him from his mind and focused on winning her trust.

Once all of her papers were picked up, the girl looked at her watch again, only to realize that she was alright on time. She sighed. "I'm sorry, had I actually looked..." she started when standing up. Loki put his hand on her shoulder and smiled.

"Don't worry about it. It was an accident." She sighed again but with relief. When she smiled he wondered even more if she wasn't an enchantress and didn't know it.

"I'm Suzanne by the way." She stated softly. Loki stood there for a moment going through names in his head that he could use instead of his real name.

"I'm Gabriel. Where pray tell are you going so quickly?" He mused.

"Class"

"In the summer?" He questioned her. It was towards the beginning of July and here this girl was going to class and not doing normal mortal summer things. Needless to say, he was intrigued.

"Have to. I just moved here to finish up my degree. My last school got rid of many classes that I needed to take and I got fed up with it and moved here." He froze for a minute as he listened. She might actually know who he is. Surely she'd know of the Avengers. He swore mentally.

"Are you alright Gabriel?" She looked at him with a soften look that seemed to lighten her brown eyes. He shook his head and smiled.

"No my dear, I'm quite alright. I was just thinking if you didn't move here too long ago, then you might know of the Avengers and their exploits." He was waiting for her reaction. She just smiled.

"Yes, I do. I could only tell you who Tony Stark is, that ego maniac..." She muttered the last part. Loki chuckled. Of course she'd know Stark. "But, that's the only one I could tell you off hand. So long as they protect the city and care about the civilians, I don't really care to be honest. I don't need a hero." She stated that last part firmly. Suzanne never believed in hero's. She wanted to save herself and left hero's to her books and movies. Loki found himself wanting to know more about her and hatched a plan.

"Say, you probably need to get going so how about this," he watched as her eyes seemed to light up, "meet me here tomorrow at 3 in the afternoon. We can talk and you can also study." She nodded in agreement.

"I would love that. And yes, I do need to get going, I'll see you tomorrow then Gabriel." She trotted off to class. He stood and watched as she left. She wouldn't be easy to break. No, he liked the challenge. Though, a few months should be adequate. Well, maybe when she graduates, he did believe in giving the girl a chance to complete what she wanted.

Loki smirked and turned and started to walk down the street. "Perfect"


	2. City Lights

Suzanne sat on the rooftop of her apartment building, looking over the city lights of New York. To her, while it wasn't the stars of the skies, it was still a pretty sight. She moved to the city to experience something new. Though, here she was, questioning her decisions. She sighed as she kept thinking about her sudden move from Virginia to New York. Mostly she was thinking about her recent breakup with her ex-boyfriend. She couldn't believe how worked up Gabriel had gotten. He wasn't going to leave her be. Though, she admitted that, out of all of her recent choices lately, that was the best one so far. He was a real comfort to her. She leaned back and looked at the sky and could see very few stars.

"How I would love to go somewhere far from the cities lights and just gaze at the stars." She muttered to herself.

Back in her apartment, Loki had entered the small flat rather easily. He always checked to see if she would lock her door. He worried about her constantly because he didn't want to lose her, she was vital to his plans. "This is odd. I wonder where she is." He mused to himself as he took her spare key and locked the door as he closed it.

"From up here the city lights burn, like a thousand miles of fire, and I'm here to sing this Anthem, of our dying day." Loki stopped for a moment as he heard the words sung. It was a female voice that much he could tell. He heard it again.

"The stars will cry, its blackest tears tonight…" He picked up the pace looking for the sweet voice. He realized that he was close to the roof of the apartment building. 'This is odd, I never took Suzanne for doing something like this.' He thought quietly to himself.

Suzanne was startled as the door opened. She turned swiftly and sighed in relief when she saw her friend. "Gabriel, I didn't expect to see you tonight." She smiled at him.

"Suzanne, there you are. You left your apartment door unlocked. I was worried." He stated as he walked towards her. He sat down next to her and looked into those light brown eyes of hers. "Did you hear someone singing by any chance?"

She turned away thankful that it was dark out so he couldn't see her blush. "N-no, I didn't." She lied. She was able to lie pretty good but, Loki was starting to know her well enough to know that she was hiding something but, he wouldn't press it.

"Oh, that's a shame, it was really good." Suzanne felt her heart skip a beat. She hasn't sung in years, well not where people could hear her anyway. She didn't say anything for a while. Loki sighed and looked at her.

"Why are you up here by yourself?" He looked at her with an expression that showed concern.

She looked at him for a moment but then looked away. She wasn't sure but it felt like those eyes of his were pulling her in. Trying to trap her into an abyss that she never comes out of, no matter how hard she would try. "I-I just wanted some time to think and this seemed like a good spot." She was being honest. Loki just smiled and shook his head.

"It's late out Suzanne. You really should be getting to bed." She yawned proving his point, but she still protested.

"I'm fine Gabriel, honestly." She tried not to show any signs of being tired. Loki stood up and held his hand out for her.

"No, you are not fine. You are tired now do not protest and come with me." His voice was steady and gave off a tone that said 'I'm not in the mood to fight'. Suzanne sighed and took his hand. He helped her up and she almost fell over. "See? Now come along, lean on me if you must." She did just that. She yawned again and looked up at him with a sleepy look in her eyes. "Why can't you be more like normal girls and just go to bed when you're tired?" He pondered out loud.

"Maybe I don't want to be like other girls." He smiled at this. "I want to live my life the way I want to. I will let no one dictate it for me." Loki's mind twisted a bit. 'Oh darling, if only you knew how much I would dictate it. Would you hate me or love me once I do though?' Once they reached her front door, he took the spare key out of his pocket and opened the door. He led her in and to her bedroom where he had her lay down immediately. He told her not to worry about her clothes and that he would stay the night to watch over her. He had not seen her tired before and figured it was from all of the studying she's had to do. Her summer finals were soon he knew this. Once she was asleep, he magically had her clothes change into her night time clothes and then turned to leave her room so she could sleep.

He sat on the couch for a moment pondering many things. He was acting strange, this he knew. Was it really Suzanne doing this? Or was it some mechanism in the back of his mind trying to make himself seem more like a mortal so that she wouldn't suspect anything? He wasn't sure. He was becoming more and more confused and he barely knows this girl!

He sighed. "Why do I find myself so concerned for this girl? Her well being is easily explainable. But, why doesn't she come to me with her problems? Wait, what am I thinking? She doesn't know me that well." He started to pace the living room. He was flustered by this. He then heard a sound coming from her room. He stopped and looked in the direction of her bedroom. Suzanne popped out.

"Hey, Gabriel, how did I get into my sleep wear?" She questioned sleepily. He smiled sweetly.

"You must have put them on. I've been out here since putting you to bed." He said to her simply. She nodded, taking the answer. She was just so tired. He walked up to her and hugged her.

"Go back to bed love. You look like death has warmed over." He led her back to her bed and had her lay down again. Before he could walk away this time though, she grabbed his dress pant leg. "What is it?" He questioned concerned.

"Thank you. For everything." With that she fell asleep again, letting go of him in the process.

He smiled again and figured that it would be worth it. He went to the guest room and sat on the futon and picked up one of her books from her shelf. As he started reading, he heard that voice again.

"Now, if there is anything that'll drive me insane, it'll be that voice." He muttered to himself. He didn't want to wake Suzanne so he stayed put and kept reading, listening to the voice. Though, he couldn't make out the lyrics.

Suzanne has a habit of singing in her sleep and sang a sad song. "Time, is dead and gone….show must go on…." The song of the Circus Monster was sung for a bit as she fell into a deeper sleep.


	3. You're Wearing That?

Loki sat in Suzanne's living room waiting for her to get changed. He sighs, wondering why he was putting up with this. He stood and went to see what was taking her so long. As soon as he's near her bedroom door, she opens it up and pops out.

"Ready when you are," she cocks an eyebrow, "what?"

He stared at her for quite some time. She was wearing cutoff jean shorts and a dark blue shirt with Doctor Hooves on it. He wasn't sure what to say to the brunette woman.

"What on Earth are you wearing Suzanne?" He asked confused by the design on her shirt. He knew she liked wearing men's shirts but the design on this one was…odd. She pouted a bit, looking at him with bright brown eyes. He wondered countless times if she was an enchantress and didn't know it. Those eyes of hers could lighten or darken depending on her mood.

"What? I like men's shirts. They're more comfortable most of the time and I happen to like the design!" she started to defend herself. When she tried to exit the tiny hallway, Loki stopped her.

"You're an odd one you know that?" She looked at him a bit confused now.

"I've always been odd. Look, if this friendship is going to go anywhere," she then thought to herself, 'and I do mean anywhere,' but didn't speak it out loud, "then you're going to have to get use to this." He cocked an eyebrow and looked at her unsure of how to respond.

'She really wants this to last. This is promising.' He shook his head and tried not to laugh.

"Suzanne, I hate to say this but that shirt is absolutely childish in nature." She pouted again at his comment and then looked away sadly. He sighed defeated. 'Why me?' He thought to himself. Wrapping his arms around her he pulled her in for a hug.

"I'm sorry, guess I'll just have to suck it up and get use to this. I accept you for who you are. No matter what" She smiled as he spoke softly to her and hugged him back. Pulling away from him, she grabbed his hand.

"Well then, let's get going." She drags him out the apartment giggling along the way. She smiled brightly at him and Loki couldn't help but smile back. The girl was stubborn and everything about her was starting to grow on him.

'Who said I didn't have to enjoy her company? Or even maybe like her?' he thought to himself. Just another personality quirk he loved about her.


	4. Broken Pieces

Two weeks into the fall semester, Suzanne was actually finding herself happy with her life the way it was going. She would finish her degree that winter and she had a good friend that cared about her and lived comfortably in a city known for the most bizarre and random attacks. She had left Virginia to get away from them, her family. The people who had no qualms when it came to belittling her or stifling her creativity. She was beginning to think that she could open up to her friend soon about some of her hidden talents.

She went for a walk, leaving her phone at home, so that she could clear her mind from the stressful day of classes. Despite it being the start of the semester, Suzanne was already handed three papers to write and a project that would be due in October. She was humming to the current song on her Ipod 'Enjoy the Silence'. She's always liked the song and never gave the lyrics much of a close listening to.

She headed back home after walking for another half hour. She couldn't remember where she placed her phone and started to search for it throughout the apartment. She found it on her bed and noticed it was blinking.

"How odd" she muttered to herself as she picked it up. One missed call. She knew the number and grumbled. One new voicemail. She sighed. 'Might want to listen to it that way I can erase it properly.' she thought bitterly to herself. She always listened to the voicemail messages that her parents and brother left. She'd tune them out but it was better than actually talking to them. She was probably going to change her number after this though.

She called her voicemail and after punching in her passcode she stood there and listened to the message.

"One new message; Hey Suzanne it's me your baby brother. You were right. Our parents are loons. I'm sorry I never believe you before. I started at your college this summer and talked to your friends. I can't believe how abused you were psychologically. I'd say they loved you, us, but I'm not so sure. I'm glad you moved away. They've gotten worse since finding out you transferred. I dare say they went off the deep end. You weren't doing what they wanted, you were doing what you wanted. It's too late for me to try and fix my life. Too much that can't be undone. I just wanted to say that I love you sis, and I'm sorry but..." There was a short pause before the voice came back. "I have to do this. They can't win, you can't let them get to you." With that the message was cut off.

Suzanne took the phone from her ear and stared at it. "What the...? Is he for real? It this another trick? The nerve!" She threw her phone down on the bed and stormed to her kitchen to get something to eat. She knew her friend was due over later today but he said not to count on it. It was a big maybe that he told her yesterday since he had to cut their visit short.

"Where is Gabriel when I need him?" She huffed out angrily. He was the only one to calm her down but her classmate Natasha seemed to have a calming affect on her as well. That was good. She shook bits from her past. "They're all just broken little pieces swept under the rug now." She turned her iPod back on and took a short nap, falling asleep to the song she listened to earlier.

~

About an hour later she woke up to her phone going off. She recognized the ringtone as one she set as default. "Probably my brother again." she sighed thinking back to the message from earlier. "Maybe I should talk to him." She walked to her room and looked at her phone. She didn't recognize the number. "This can't be good" she mumbled as she picked up the phone.

"Hello?" she answered almost hesitantly.

"Hello, is this Suzanne?" the voice didn't ring any bells.

"Speaking."

"I'm Agent Hill from S.H.I.E.L.D and I'm afraid..." Suzanne looked at her phone in disbelief.

"S.H.I.E.L.D? What do you guys want with me?" She was skeptical needless to say, not everyday you get a phone call from S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Well, I'm sorry to say but, I call bearing bad news." Suzanne just took in a deep breath and sighed. She wondered when this would happen.

"Alright, I'm ready what is it?"

"Your brother...he died this afternoon." Suzanne's face paled.

"That can't be, he..."

"Called you at around 1 pm. He died about a half hour later." Suzanne felt tears well up.

"How?" She asked trying not to shake.

"Suicide. Shoot himself. He died rather quickly." She couldn't contain her tears anymore.

"Why tell me? Why not my parents?" She heard the agent sigh as if losing a bet and knew she'd have to explain anyway.

"As you know, it's about 3 o'clock. We were called by the police right after they got the news. Apparently they couldn't contain them and they started screaming these different things at them, something about them being the ones to take their daughter away and kill their son just so they couldn't do anything to help the country come out of the Tyrants thumb. They pulled weapons and kill two officers. We answered the call, subduing them and had to put them in straight jackets just so we could contain and separate them. You might have to-" She was cut off by a male voice that Suzanne couldn't make out. " Never mind. Anyway, no trial will be held, we already have a judge that said not only were they dangerous but were too mentally unstable for a proper trial. This we accepted. They are in the asylum right now. Your grandfather has been made aware of the situation. I'm sorry for having to dump all this on you." She did sound apologetic.

Suzanne had almost forgotten how to breath when she heard everything. "W-why did my brother commit suicide?" She didn't care about her parents. She spent most of her childhood trying to save her brother from their insanity.

"The note he left, which was an extreme help, said that he was tired of living a life he didn't want. He was sick of belittling his older sister to the point of almost breaking her into a lifeless doll. The age gap never helped but that he now knew that they only way to be free, was to be greeted by death. I don't honestly think you calling him back would've changed his mind." Suzanne sat on her bed, tears escaping now and flowing fast. The only other person from her family she loved was gone. She couldn't save him. While she didn't want a hero, she wanted to be his hero.

"T-thank you. Has my grandfather?" Agent Hill spoke before she could finish.

"Yes, everything has been taken care of. No service, he's just going to be buried in the family plot. Is there anything else we can do for you?"

"No, thank you Agent Hill."

"Keep this number in case you need anything." With that she hung up.

Suzanne dropped her phone, crying hysterically. She couldn't believe it. She had wanted to call back and wish she had now. She believed she could've stopped him. Why would he do this? Why not just do what she did and escape? Why torture yourself further? She continued to cry forgetting about everything around her.

She got up and went to the bathroom to look at herself. Face red, eyes puffy and red from the crying. She yanked out her hair as her parents words flooded back into her mind. "Why...why couldn't you just be normal?!" She started to scream at her reflection.

"Why did you belittle me and poison my brother? Turning him against me, making it so he didn't love me?! Why did you try to ruin everything?!" She continued as she tried to undo her hair from it's braid, making it worse since she wasn't calm. "You won't amount to anything, you'll never have a stable relationship. Nothing will ever turn out the way it should." Those were exact words her parents told her everyday. To her it was worse than being called stupid or ugly. It meant that no matter the grades or what kind of degree she got, she wouldn't amount to anything that could satisfy them. No matter how pretty she was she'd always get the jerks in her life. Which that part about came true until she just quit looking and stuck with her friend. She'd forgotten about him entirely in her rage.

"Now he's dead. My baby brother is dead and it's all your fault!" With that she punched her mirror.

Loki had decided to pay Suzanne a visit and hoped to surprise her by this. She'd been stressed and felt bad for cutting their visit short. He took his spare key from his pocket and unlocked her door. Almost as soon as he entered he heard her scream and the shattering of glass. "Suzanne!" He cried out to her, slamming her door shut racing to the bathroom. He looked at the pieces of a shattered mirror surrounding his friend. She was crying and her hand was bleeding rather badly.

"Suzanne what happened?!" He knelt next to her taking her into his arms. She looked up at him, her brown eye color dull as if death had taken over. He was scared, what had happened? She clung to him crying, trying to tell him what happened. He picked her up taking her back to her room, sitting her down grabbing her first aid kit. He needed her to fall asleep and had to use some of his powers to heal and calm her down. He didn't want to but had to.

"Suzanne, listen to me, I'm here, you're safe. I have to get you bandaged up alright?" he took her head into his hands to make her look at him.

"I-it hurts Gabriel...It just" he cut her off.

"I know, let me do this alright?" She nodded weakly. He'd never seen her like this before. He wanted to demand her to make her tell him but knew he couldn't. He took her injured hand and numbed it with a bit of his frost magic.

"G-Gabriel, when did it get..." She was trying to speak, trying to think if she'd gone mad like her parents.

"Sh, it's alright" He stroked her tangled hair a bit. He couldn't believe the state she was in. While her hair wasn't all over the place, it was obvious that it was yanked out of the style it was in and was just like a bun that's fallen but no undone. "I need you to close your eyes." She just nodded weakly, doing as told. She closed her eyes as he let his cold powers numb her body so that it was easier for her to sleep. Once she was sleeping, he had her lean against his chest as he worked on cleaning and healing her hand.

"So much blood" he muttered to himself as he started wipe them clean. Almost as soon as they were cleaned the wounds would bleed again. "Damn it all" He froze the wounds not liking that he had to. Once they finally stopped bleeding he grabbed her rubbing alcohol and dabbed it on each cut. He noticed a rather large one on her hand itself while most of them were on knuckles and fingers. He sighed as he wrapped each wound in bandages. Once done he looked back into the bathroom. Shaking his head he left the mess as is, maybe as a push to get her to tell.

~

Suzanne woke up in Loki's arms about an hour later. She noted her right hand covered in bandages. "G-Gabriel? What...what happened?" She looked at him and then to her bathroom, gasping in horror.

"You tell me love. You gave me quite a scare." She clung to his chest and started to cry again. She couldn't tell him. She didn't want to relive her past. She knew he'd ask about why her parents went mad, and why her brother was dead.

"I-I was given some bad news that I took rather hard." She finally sobbed. "I lost it. I thought I was going insane." He rubbed her back knowing he wasn't going to get the answers that he needed. He sighed and looked at her.

"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner." He had planned on being there when she took her nap, but got held up by some of his allies needing to go over plans. She started to cry harder as memories flooded her. The phone call from her brother, the one from S.H.E.I.L.D. She should've called her classmate but instead went into instant rage. How she wished that her brother never took his life, that she had called like she wanted to and maybe she could've stopped him. Loki held the girl tighter and kissed her forehead.

"It's alright, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." She looked at him, calming down quite a bit.

"C-could you stay with me?" She tried to move her hand but yelped in pain. Loki took it immediately so that she wouldn't try to flex it.

"Of course I will, and don't move your hand for a while. It was scratched up pretty badly." He sighed and had to ask, "You aren't going to tell me exactly why you did what you did, are you?" She shook her head no. "I thought so." He stood up with her in his arms and laid her down on her bed. "I'm going to clean up the mess and I want you to rest. No arguments from you and I won't force you to tell me." She looked at him like a child being scolded.

She agreed though. "Alright."

~

Later that night Suzanne found herself not wanting to leave Loki's side. This didn't bother him really. She had just injured herself and went through what she would consider hell and came back out of it rather broken. He was concerned. This was definitely worse than when she had that break-up back during the summer. He looked at her curled up figure and couldn't help but think how pitiful it was for someone so strong to suddenly be reduced to nothing. She did clean up a bit after she woke up from her second nap. Hair brushed and in a ponytail, face cleaned and not as red, her eyes were the only clue she had been crying.

"What are you going to do about your classes? You can't possibly type and writing is out of the question." She looked at him, her eyes finally having their color come back to them, or at least, they weren't as dull as they were.

"I'll have my friend lend me her notes and for the other two I'll ask my professors for their notes for the class." She had called her teachers earlier without Loki knowing, to say that she needed a few days because of a family tragedy that she was made aware of. She knew explaining her hand would be a problem and hoped Natasha wouldn't press it. Loki just nodded and held her tighter. He wasn't willing to let her fall. Not by a long shot. His plans for her couldn't be hindered by this. But for now, he'd let her heal. Emotionally she's drained and needs support.

~

A week later she was back to her normal routine and wasn't surprised when Natasha questioned her constantly. Loki would wait for her outside of her class and escort her wherever she needed to go. She didn't mind. It was probably for the best. Natasha was curious and asked Fury if he knew. He knew alright, but he was as quiet about it as Suzanne.

"Leave her be with her friend. If he's taking care of her, then don't worry. She has many broken pieces she needs to pick up anyway. To leave them be hurts her further. She'll come around in time." She didn't like it but knew he was right. She left her be.

Suzanne sat on her bed looking out the window, listening to her iPod. She hadn't listened to the song 'Enjoy the Silence since that day she got the call. She still couldn't believe it. Her brother was dead and the last thing she said to him was 'Why would I go back to loon for parents and a brother who just hates me?'. She curled up into a ball and tried not to cry. At this point, there were a couple of times she'd wake up in Loki's arms. She didn't care. He chased those nightmares away and was also glad she couldn't remember them. Complete win win in her mind. Loki walked in, taking her into his embrace like he had for the last week and sighed.

"You know, if you talk to me about this it might make things easier." She shook her head.

"Not yet. Not yet" She replayed the lyrics in her head. All she wanted and need was in her arms, and she knew how badly words could hurt. Why couldn't her family just stay quiet a little long? She was enjoying the silence she had from them.

"Alright, when you're ready, I'll be here and I will help you pick up the pieces." He said softly to her. She fell asleep in no time.


	5. Being Sick Sucks

The Saturday after Suzanne heard about her brother's death was, interesting to say the least. She felt herself catching a cold and didn't want anyone to worry or fuss over her. It was a minor 24 hour bug, or at least, she hoped it was. As much as she didn't like it, she was thankful at the same time that her friend was out of town for the weekend.

"Last person I want to see me like this is Gabriel." She muttered to herself as she started to make a fresh batch of tea. She would be fine. Though, she would be great if she could take the bandages on her right hand off. Loki had given her specific instructions not to take the bandages off. Suzanne sighed as she resisted the urge to fiddle with them. For all she knew, if she touched it and it started to unravel on its own, he'd appear at her door in no time.

Still, she tried to make the best out of her situation. Grabbing her phone, she read a text message from Natasha, her classmate from Mythology class and about gagged on the cup of tea she started to drink. "Shit!" She said as she heard knocking on the door. 'Too late' she thought as she answered.

"Tasha, hey" she started with a fake smile. Agent Romanoff looked at her classmate.

"Are you alright?" she questioned carefully.

"Uh huh, everything is a-okay." The Russian woman pushed past her and wrinkled her nose at the sight of Suzanne's trash can. Tissues everywhere.

"No it's not, you're sick. Where's your boyfriend?" She questioned casually. This made the poor girl spit her tea out.

"Ugh, you're making me waste my tea" she started as she frowned "and Gabriel is not my boyfriend. He's just a good friend." Natasha smirked as she watched the young woman's cheeks turn bright red.

"Sure, and you don't have a crush on him do you?" She folded her arms across her chest looking at her for a moment. Suzanne just glared at her as she grabbed another mug for Natasha. "So then, do you have medicine?" She walked into the bathroom and took note of the new mirror. 'Strange, last time I was here, there was a bigger mirror here.' She thought looking in the medicine cabinet that sat off to the right of the mirror. She frowned again as she found her friend out of most essential meds. She sighed and looked at the ground for some reason and saw a stray shard of glass. She carefully picked it up and examined it. Suzanne walked to her bathroom wondering what was taking the red headed woman so long.

"Hey, what are you doing? Digging for my life story or…" she froze as she saw the shard in Natasha's hand. Her heart skipped a beat as she watched the Russian piece it altogether.

"You do realize that you will tell me about this right? Or do I need to hunt your friend down and tell him you're sick?" Suzanne shook her head and held her hands in defeat.

"I'll tell you everything if you don't tell Gabriel I was sick." She then started to cough. Natasha turned her around, leading her to her room.

"Tell me everything when I return alright? And do you have clean clothes and bed linens?" Suzanne just nodded weakly. In truth, she was sicker than she realized. Natasha then grabbed her purse and headed out.

~

About an hour later, the agent came back with a bag full of different medicines, including Midol for that specific time and started to stock the younger woman's medicine cabinet. Once she was done, she grabbed a few of the daytime Nyquil pills and a glass of water.

"Here, take this and let's get you cleaned up and your bed changed." Suzanne just nodded. She got up and changed into cooler clothes while Tasha stripped her bed sheets and changed them before throwing them and Suzanne's outfit into the washing machine.

"There, that should do it. Try to take it easy alright? I don't want to see you move too much. I can stay if need be." Suzanne shook her head.

"No Nat, you've done plenty. Please don't stress you…" she started to cough again before finishing her statement. "Okay. Please stay for the rest of the day then?" She pleaded a bit. Natasha just smiled at her friend.

"Of course, just let me make a phone call really quickly and I'll stay here to make sure you take your medicine." She had almost forgotten about the deal she made with the sickly woman earlier but shrugged it off and figured she'd get it out of her later when she was feeling better. She went to the living room and phoned Tony to tell him that she would be taking care of a friend.

~

Around dinner time, Natasha had made sure that Suzanne had taken the next dose of meds and was starting to make them both a light dinner. It still amazed the woman that Suzanne had tried to be so stubborn about being sick. She didn't understand why the woman wouldn't let anyone in. She still was curious as to the bandages and even Clint asked her about them when they saw her on Friday.

Still, she put on her best poker face and gave Suzanne her food. She sat up in bed and thanked Natasha.

"I'm just glad it's you taking care of me and not Gabriel." She looked at her friend, curious about her words.

"Why's that?"

"He'd make such as fuss. To be honest I can take care of myself though…I suppose you should know about last week." She turned away and stared at the wall for a moment before turning back to Natasha. It was then that Natasha realized that her friends brown eyes were unusually dull and lifeless. They were usually brighter.

"What happened? All you told me was that you hurt your hand. Just, never how though."

"You've taken note of the different mirror right?" The assassin nodded. "I broke it last Saturday by punching it. I had received a call from S.H.I.E.L.D and it was pertaining to my family. Apparently, my brother committed suicide." Natasha looked at her wide eyed and thought back to Nick Fury's words to her. 'So this is what he was talking about?' she thought silently as she looked down.

"I'm sorry…but why didn't the city police call you?" Suzanne looked at her for a moment. Just how far was she going to go with this? She didn't want to spill her life history, not when she promised herself that she'd tell Gabriel first.

"Well, I moved here during the summer to get away from my home state. But, as to why the county police didn't call? I don't know really." She didn't know. That part still confused her. What would an agency like S.H.I.E.L.D have to do with her and her family? Her parents were loons and a threat to themselves, not the country. She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. What does matter is I lost it. I punched the mirror right as Gabriel came into my apartment and he bandaged me up. He's been a real lifesaver Nat."

Natasha thought about this for a moment. She wouldn't say anything to Suzanne but, she and Clint caught a glimpse of him from the side as he was escorting her home from class Friday. They thought it was a trick of the light but they weren't sure. They could've sworn it was Loki. Naturally though, because neither had proof nor could they get proof without tipping him off, they hadn't told anyone. Still, she was fairly certain it was him but played it like she didn't know anything.

"Where is he now?" She asked casually.

Suzanne finished her food and looked at her friend. "He's out of town this weekend. Said he'd be back Monday" she said as she tried to get up. Natasha wouldn't let her.

"I'll clean up." Suzanne just nodded since her instincts said not to mess with her. She only knew a little bit about Natasha. She didn't know she was an assassin, or that she was a part of the Avengers. Natasha made sure it stayed that way. For the rest of the night, Natasha slept on the couch and would wake up every now and then to Suzanne coughing. She feared her friend was getting worse.

~

Over the course of the next day, every time Natasha walked into Suzanne's room, it seemed like she just got worse. She had a fever, a newer symptom and her coughing was getting worse and her nose seemed to constantly run. She phoned Bruce at one point, despite not being a medical professional. She just wasn't sure what to do and if anything needed advice. Banner had calmed her fears and said that he could possibly create an antibiotic that could help the normal medicine but that it might take a couple hours to make. The assassin thanked him and went back to taking care of her friend.

She walked into her room and looked at the sleeping form. She sighed secretly wishing that Loki was there to help. At least break her fever. She sighed heavily and decided to wait until Bruce called back to have her pick up the medicine. She went back to the living room and opened a window to air out the small apartment. She then looked at the TV and frowned. The woman didn't have cable but had an assortment of movies.

Natasha went to the drawer and started to sift through them to pick one out to watch. She settled on 'Anastasia' and tried to relax, at least until lunch time.

~

Bruce had called her, asking her to come and pick the medicine up. The man had perfect timing. She had just finished preparing a small lunch for Suzanne and woke the sickly woman up in time to eat it.

"Hey, I have to head out for a bit. I'll be back in an hour. Try not to stress yourself alright?" The woman just nodded weakly. Natasha then left immediately so that she could go pick up the pill that Banner made.

The whole trip took about a half hour, leaving Natasha to wonder where Tony was. He didn't bug her about yesterday and more surprisingly, Clint wasn't trying to blow her phone up asking where she was.

She got back to her friends flat and entered, slamming the door by accident.

"Nat? Is that you? Try to keep the noise level down please." Suzanne groaned as she sat up. The assassin walked into the bedroom and looked at her friend.

"A headache too? Jeeze, when you get sick, you get sick." She remarked handing the next dosage with the pill Dr. Banner made. Suzanne took them not realizing that there was an extra pill. Tasha looked at her and smirked a bit. She must be out of it not to realize a different size and color pill. She shook her head and sat next to her. "Anything else I can get you? Maybe I could try to call Gabriel?" She offered even though she knew she couldn't do that last part.

Suzanne just shook her head. "No no Tasha I'm fine. I think I'll just try to sleep the rest of the day" she yawned and looked groggily at her friend. "Scratch that I will sleep the rest of the day." Natasha couldn't help but chuckle.

"Alright" She grabbed the lunch dishes, taking them to the kitchen to be cleaned. She felt a chill run down her spine and snapped to attention quickly. She had forgotten about the window and sighed with relief. She thought that maybe Loki had entered the flat and saw her. Once she was done with the dishes, she walked to the window and closed it but not before catching a glimpse of someone she thought she recognized. She shook it off and went into the little library Suzanne had and started to look for something to read so she could keep the noise level down to a minimum.

~

Loki walked down the streets of New York trying to calm himself. He had just returned to the city from a small side mission that he had set up. He was looking for relic's he knew to be missing from Odin's treasure room and believed to have located one. The problem? So did S.H.I.E.L.D.

Tony Stark and Steve Rogers went to the Arizona desert to recover the lost relic before anyone else could. They were unaware of Loki's presence on Earth and almost had a run in with him. Loki was thankful he was a shape shifter. At the last possible second he shifted form to look like one of the Agents that escorted the two Avengers. He did stick around to see what happened. They recovered the relic and had no issue. Strange but, it does occasionally happen once every blue moon.

Still, that didn't mean Loki had to like it. He wanted to do battle for the relic but knew better. Thor would've been down on Earth helping them in almost no time. He wondered how they were doing in Asgard. They were probably still searching all nine realms for him.

He sighed as he stopped to think clearly for a moment. He wanted to visit his friend but, knew that she would be too worried and ask too many questions at this point. Still, a small visit wouldn't hurt would it?

~

Agent Romanoff's phone buzzed at one point. She yawned and looked at it to see a text from Clint. She read it carefully and nodded to herself. She was needed at the Tower and would have to leave Suzanne alone. One night no big deal.

She stood up and put the book back onto the shelf. She was kind of sad to have to leave considering she was almost done with the rather large tome. She'd have to ask to borrow it at a later date, along with the rest of the series.

Suzanne had gotten up to move a bit because her body had started to ache. She looked as miserable as she felt but didn't care. She was starting to feel better at least. Natasha was startled to see her up and moving.

"You should be in bed."

"Can't. Body hurts too much."

"Oh, well, just don't stress yourself. I have to go, my…boyfriend texted me asking when I would be home. Guess I should get out of here for a night." Suzanne just smiled.

"Yeah, I'll feel guilty if you get sick. But, needless to say, go on" she shooed her away jokingly. Natasha just laughed a bit and shook her head.

"I can tell you're feeling better. Just don't forget the meds, nothing heavy and don't stress yourself." Suzanne just waved her off.

"Yeah, yeah I'll behave." She went to her couch to watch something as Natasha left.

"Text me if you need anything" she called out to her as she left. Closing the door behind her, she made her way down the stairs. She rushed past a man who gave off a familiar aura. She paused at the bottom of the stairs and stared at nothing for a moment trying to process what just happened. She shook her head and dismissed it.

Loki had reached the front door of his companions apartment when he realized that he just passed by someone familiar. He just shook it off not caring. He knew it wasn't Suzanne so he didn't pay any mind to it.

He unlocked the door with the key he wore around his neck and let himself in. He looked around for a moment and knew something was off. The TV was on, but the volume was low. He then looked around the place more carefully. Everything was cleaned, except maybe the trash can. That was due to be put out thanks to the tissues. That was what made him wonder. He walked over to the couch and looked down to see her sleeping.

"Suzanne?" He spoke softly, gently shaking her shoulder to wake her up. She stirred a bit and looked at him. He kept his composure as he looked at the ill woman. "What's wrong love?"

"Oh, hey Gabriel. I'm not feeling too well, I'm alright though honest." She coughed for a brief moment. He shook his head and felt her forehead.

"You're burning up." He looked at her with shock. How could she have gotten so ill? He picked her up carefully taking her to her room. He laid her down in the middle of the bed so he could sit next to her comfortably. He then looked at her hand quickly to see if it needed attention.

"When did you realize you were ill?" He asked as he unwrapped one of the bandages on her index finger.

She looked at him for a moment then looked at her hand. "Yesterday" he looked at her and could tell she was lying.

"You're lying to me. I can tell." She sighed heavily.

"Alright, I haven't been feeling too well since about Thursday. I brushed it off though thinking it was the stress of losing my brother. Saturday is when it really kicked in." She looked at him. He examined her healing wound before speaking again.

"Why didn't you say anything?" He wrapped it back up, figuring that he'd deal with it later. Her overall health was more important right now.

"I didn't want to worry you. I already had a classmate of mine come over and pretty much demand to stay and help. I'm feeling much better than earlier." She held onto his hand, not wanting him to let go. Fuss or not, she was glad that he was here now. He looked at her for a moment.

"I worry when you don't tell me anything. You could've contacted me you know." He stroked her hair wanting her to sleep now.

"Exactly what I told my classmate you would do, fuss over me."

"But is it so bad that someone is willing to fuss over you?" She thought about it for a moment and blushed. She then struggled to get up. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I think I'm going to take a shower. I feel disgusting because I haven't had a chance to since Friday." He smirked.

"Need any help?" She glared at him as her face turned redder.

"No thank you…pervert…." She muttered the last part which made Loki chuckle. She then grabbed some clean clothes and proceeded to take her shower. He sat there on her bed, shaking his head.

"Why can't you just let me in?" he pondered out loud. He had been wondering this for a while. They'd known each other for a couple of months and usually most people start to trickle out some information. She's been a closed book.

Approximately fifteen minutes later, Suzanne came out of the bathroom, dressed in shorts and a tank top. She towel dried her hair as best as she could before putting it into her laundry hamper. She went back to her bed, laying on her stomach and groaned a bit.

"What's wrong?" Loki asked concerned.

"My muscles still ache, I can't do anything and you're going to make such a huge fuss that we might actually argue." She explained. He sighed. Why was she being dramatic? He rubbed her back for a moment trying to relax her. This did help her a little bit.

"I'll only argue with you if it seems appropriate. But I would rather not given your current condition." Suzanne sighed, closing her eyes as she tried to sleep. Once Loki realized her eyes were shut, he knew he could start to get away with using a little bit of magic. If anything to try and break her fever and dull the aches.

He used a bit of his frost magic as he continued to rub her back. That seemed to help as her body finally relaxed. He then looked at her for a moment. He was feeling himself becoming frustrated. He watched her sleeping form and saw her shiver a bit. He pulled away and put a blanket over her. He then got up, closed her bedroom door and stalked to the living room.

Sitting on the couch he turned the TV off so that there was silence in the room.

"Why? Why do I put up with this? This woman is stubborn. Too stubborn for her own good. She never tells me what is wrong, doesn't let me help with anything. She let herself get ill when she could've avoided it." He put his head in his hands, trying to think for a moment. He then realized just how out of character he was acting.

"Wait, why do I even give a shit?" he growled at himself a bit. "I just need her for one night. Then, when everything is set I can control her. No, I will control her. I will have control of her. I won't have to deal with her stubbornness any more once I have her mind. Then again, at this rate I could care less if she dies! There are other females out there. I will manage if something happens to her. I'm just so damn tired of this. I try to be reasonable. I really do but she just doesn't let me in. She won't let anyone in for that matter. She has no friends, except her classmate, that I'm really even aware of. She just told me Tuesday that it was her brother that died. She's going to be the death of me if I let her. I just can't figure out why it is she thinks she can act this way. I don't care anymore. If she doesn't at least let me help her I'm done. I can't take it anymore." He had started to pace about halfway through his rant. He was a bit loud but knew she was a heavy sleeper. The only reason he knew this? He had dropped one of her larger books one time and it was rather loud but she didn't stir, despite being in the same room.

One could say that Loki was rightfully angry. He was dealing with a person who was fiercely independent and didn't want to rely on anyone. What he didn't know was that she didn't want to rely on anyone for fear of being let down. He paced a bit more until he heard her coughing. It was a rather violent cough that ended up being what woke her up. He felt his heart start to race a bit as he rushed to her room. She looked at him for a moment.

"I'm alright. I haven't had a violent cough until now and usually those are a good thing for me." She started to explain.

"It didn't sound like a good thing love." He looked at her concerned regretting everything he had said earlier. In truth, he had grown to care about her. He didn't want her to die nor did he want her to leave. He sat next to her and held her close.

"You're going to get sick if you continue to do this you know." He couldn't help but chuckle.

"I'll be alright." He kissed her forehead and was relieved that her fever broke. Her phone went off on her nightstand. Loki picked it up and checked her messages. Almost two months ago he wasn't sure how to work most objects on Earth. He was a quick study though. He raised an eyebrow at the message.

"Who sent you this one?" He asked showing her. She looked at it for a moment.

"Oh, that's just my classmate. She had to leave earlier today to meet up with her boyfriend...I think..." she shook her head. "You can tell her I'm fine. She doesn't have to know you're here...if she found out she might just tease me Monday..." she mumbled the last part. Loki ignored it as he typed out the reply to send to Natasha. He just didn't know it was her he was replying to since there was no name assigned to the number.

He set the phone back down and pushed some of her hair out of her face. "I don't think you should go to class tomorrow. You need to rest." She groaned a bit.

"I'm tired of resting." She leaned against him. He just smiled at her. She wasn't pushing him away, good. He was relieved to see that she was accepting his help.

"You still need to rest, maybe not sleep though? Just relax for now." She nodded and leaned against him.

The rest of the evening was quiet. Loki had learned what some of her favorite movies and tv shows were and would put their dvd's in for them to watch. He found that he enjoyed a few as well. When he put her to bed though, he found himself in an interesting situation. Suzanne asked if he could sleep with her. He didn't worry about getting sick himself but wondered if maybe she should be on her own. Still he complied with her wishes.

The next morning Suzanne woke up earlier than she normally did. She was feeling much better but could use another days rest. She looked at her clock and figured she had enough time to get dressed, eat and get to class. She figured that Natasha would be happy to see her better.

She got out of bed carefully and got dressed. Before she could leave her room loki stirred.

"Suzanne, what do you think you're doing?" she froze when she heard his voice. She looked at him and decided to tell him outright.

"I'm going to class. It's only one I'll be fine." He shot up and grabbed her wrist. She was taken aback by his actions. "Gabriel?" Loki could hear the tiniest amount of fear in her voice.

"I refuse to let you go. You're still unwell" he growled his words at her.

"I'm fine damn it all! I can survive one day" she started to cough again.

"Right, you were saying?"

"So it's a bit of a leftover cough." She started to try to get away from him. She about fell and it wasn't because of Loki's grip on her. No, he had loosen his grip on her. She fell to her knees and groaned at the pain.

"See? your body is still recovering. Why must you be so stubborn?" she glared at him.

"Maybe I just need to exercise my body? Ever think of that?" he shook his head.

"You don't need anymore than what you get already. You need to rest and your fall just proved it. Now listen to me. I'll pick you up and put you back in bed. I'll take care of things today." She looked away and tried to get up. Why wouldn't she just admit to not feeling well? Once she stood so did Loki. She looked up almost forgetting just how tall he really was. She fell back onto her bed as he pinned her.

"I-I'm fine Gabriel. I just got weak knee for a moment alright? Now let me up!" she tried to get up. he kept her pinned.

"No, listen to me and listen well. You will send a text message to your classmate, stating you still feel unwell and that your friend is here to take care of you. Have her e-mail you her notes. You will not leave this flat. Understood?" she'd never seen him this mad before. She tried to think of what to say. Her next words just rolled off her tongue practically.

"No! I will not be bullied by my friend. I'm well enough to go to class and there is nothing you can do to stop me. Now please unpin me, let me go and I'll come straight back to the flat alright? You have no right telling me what to do, ill or not! Now please move." She tried to push him out of the way but she found that he was stronger than she would've expected. He looked at her coldly and she couldn't help but shiver.

"I knew you were stubborn, but damn it Suzanne, I didn't think you would be an idiot. Or at least act like one. You are still unwell. You're pushing your body too much and it's going to wear down quickly, and you don't know when it if it'll happen. I am not willing to risk that. I care way too much. Now just push your pride aside or I will tie you to the bed." His voice was just as cold. She couldn't believe how angry he was. Why does he even care? It's a minor bug not some horrendous disease. But then again, she figured that now would be the best time to surrender. She found that she didn't like fighting with him.

"A-alright" she coughed again before she could finish, "I'll stay put and I'll behave. I promise, just don't tie me to the bed or my classmate might get the wrong impression if she were to stop by." He couldn't help but smirk knowing he won. He kissed her forehead before he unpinned her.

"That's my girl. Now, get back into more comfortable clothes alright?" He walked out of the room and closed the door so she could change.

She flopped backwards onto her bed and sighed. "And to think, I get to deal with this every time I'm sick now. Joy." She said sarcastically as she got changed. She then texted Natasha explaining her situation. She was told to take it easy and to let him take care of her. No matter what she might think. She sighed again. "Being sick really sucks right now..." she muttered as she left her room to go sit with Loki in the living room. He was just too happy that he won their first argument.

"Alright then, you'll take it easy?" He asked as she sat next to him and leaned on him while she glared at him.

"I hope you get sick..." She muttered as she fell asleep.


	6. Weak Moments

Suzanne stood behind the counter and leaned against it, sighing in boredom. Her client had yet to show up for the appointment that the store set for her. She stretched just wanting to go back home and get back into bed. She froze for a moment when she remembered just what happened that morning. Gabriel had managed to sleep next to her again. She grimaced at the memory. As much as she liked him sleeping next to her, she liked having her bed to herself. Mainly because her body limbs would be sprawled out all over the bed. Not that Gabriel seemed to mind of course. This time, not only was she curled up in his arms but their legs were a bit entwined with each other's. Needless to say it was rather flustering for the young woman.

She yawned when the bells on the door sounded to indicate that her client arrived. Pepper Potts walked into the store and looked around at the different clothing. Suzanne tugged on her valley girl looking dress and wondered where her friend got the idea they were too frilly. She smiled her usual fake smile at the woman and approached her.

"Good morning ma'am. I'll be the clerk helping you today." The shop Suzanne worked in was a boutique that had private shopping experiences with New York's most prim and proper women and then their regular store hours kicked in after twelve for the rest of the city. Pepper turned to look at the girl who came highly recommended by some of the woman she'd mingle with during Tony's parties.

"You don't have to put the fake smile on. I know the situation." Suzanne sighed in relief and had a genuine smile on.

"Thank you for understanding. I don't know why women like me so for their private shopping buddy. The others are more enthusiastic about the clothing than I." Pepper nodded a bit as she listened. She went around looking at the different shirts. She pulled out a rather plain blouse and held it against herself. "Oh no, not that. That's a tough sell because of the fact that it's plain and out of season color wise." Pepper looked at her. "Besides, you have a chest to show off. It's better for those without a chest so much because of the ruffles here." The only detail on the blouse were the little bit of ruffle. Pepper put it back and smiled.

"And that's why you get these morning duties." Suzanne was a bit stunned at the thought.

"Well, I also tend to stay quiet as well, most of the clients I get like that." She shrugged, "So anyway, is there a particular event you're dressing up for?" She questioned. If she knew what the client was looking for than she would have a better time helping.  
"This is just for a boring business meeting out in the west, one in New Mexico, and then California." With that the two women went around looking at the different outfits that she could possibly use. The woman had to look stunning, determined and not looks like someone anyone, man or woman can push around. Though, to Suzanne, Pepper didn't look like one to mess with to begin with.

After about an hour going through the different clothes, Pepper had a few outfits in hand to try on. During that time, one of the younger clients came in. She was a true valley girl and one that Suzanne hated. She was rarely asked to be the private shopping buddy for this one.

"There you are. Look, I'm in need of new clothing and I need opinions." Suzanne cut her off.

"I have an appointment here already. You know the rules, one client per clerk and they have the allotted time they've asked for. This one is here for the next hour. If she leaves early than I can give you a call and have you come back in there, until then no." Suzanne tried to be polite and firm with her answer. The bright blonde woman glared at her. She looked like a typical Cali girl but unlike many she wore her make up moderately and usually had a good sense in what actually looked good on her. Suzanne hated her though because of her comments about how she should lose weight. The woman was a size 5 while Suzanne was a size 12 so needless to say, it twirked the woman a bit.

"What? Well you can do two at once. You've multitasked before. You juggled two men at once." Suzanne glared at her.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. You're a bit of a two timer. Wonder if your current beau knows about the one you had before?" The woman started to get under Suzanne's skin.

"I'm no cheater unlike you. Now please, leave and come back later. I have no appointments afterwards" She turned to go back to where Pepper was before she was grabbed harshly by the valley girl.

"Look here bitch, in this store you serve people. You bow to me. Now, I'm in a hurry and need an outfit now. You will do as I say, otherwise you can kiss this goodbye. You suck at it anyway. The only reason you've kept this job is because people pity you." Suzanne felt the woman's grip harden. She jerked her arm free.

"Excuse me? Even in the 1900's people of your class treated those of my position better. Now please leave, you've been on the potential ban list for your treatment of me and my co-workers." The woman then smacked her. Suzanne's head jerked to the side. She grabbed her cheek, wondering if it was bruised or scratched. She wouldn't be surprised if it was. Pepper practically flew out of the changing room and looked at the other woman. She groaned when she realized who it was.

"Oh it's you."

"Well then nice to-" The girl tried to play friendly but Pepper held up a hand to stop her.

"No I already texted my boyfriend to call the owner. Not the manager, the owner. They're on their way here." She put a hand on Suzanne's shoulder. The owner then came in and started to speak to the once client. After a few words the owner was having no more of it. She banned the client and looked at her employee and decided to clean house, well the management anyway. After talking to Pepper, she agreed to have not only the fee for the private shopping session paid but to have Suzanne's wages paid by Tony for the next couple of days plus extra. Pepper sat next to Suzanne who seemed on the verge of tears.

"Hey, you'll have a bit of paid vacation. If anything the reason I offered is because I like you. Even if these clothes aren't your style, you're that person who knows how to dress others. You pay mind to details. And hey, don't let her words get to you." Suzanne nodded. "Now, go home, maybe I'll see you again." The owner came over and relieved Suzanne. Pepper watched as the young woman walked home, wondering if they would meet again.

Back at her apartment, Suzanne slowly walked in, her strength she could feel draining every step she took. She looked around and saw Loki sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee and reading on of her books. He looked up and was shocked to see her.

"You're home awful early." Suzanne smirked.

"You act like you live here. Well, you practically do so, meh." He stood up and walked over to her. She shut the door and as soon as Loki's arms were around her, she broke. She buried her face into his chest, her tears soaking his dress shirt. He looked at her in wonder and started to rub her back, hushing her a bit as she sobbed.

"Shh, it'll be alright. Care to tell me what have you worked up?" He spoke softly to her. She nodded. He led her to the couch where he sat down and looked at her. She was a bit of a wreck but it wasn't like when she broke the mirror. She stopped for a moment and tried to speak.

"I had a client come in and everything was going well. I was actually enjoying my job for once. Though, while she was trying the clothes on, the one we dubbed the tyrant came in and demanded me to not only go against my store's rules but tried to act like I was nothing more than a peasant who lives to serve her." She continued to explain what happened. When she was about to get to the part where she was smacked by the ex-client, Loki noticed how red her cheek was still. He stroked it gently, his fingers soft against her agitated skin. They were cool compared to the heat that Suzanne felt due to the blood rushing to it. She leaned against his hand.

"I take it she smacked you, trying to put you back into your 'place'?" He questioned quietly. He could feel himself getting angry. How dare someone hurt his future queen?!

"Yeah, that's when my current client came out and put a stop to it. She had already contacted the owner, well her boyfriend did, and told that damn queen wannabe to get out. My client's boyfriend offered to pay for not only the fee, but two days' worth of wages plus extra. She felt that it was only right since I was a bit help to her, apparently." Loki smiled a bit, glad that she had a few days to herself now. He pulled her onto his lap and hugged her.

"You deserve it Love." He kissed her forehead, causing her to blush. "What's wrong now?" He asked trying not to chuckle.

"I feel so weak and vulnerable. I don't know why. I've always been strong, I guess I'm not. I broke down as soon as you touched me and all over something I've been through before. You'd think I'd be used to it."

"Everyone has a breakdown every now and then. To be strong, or at least pretend to be strong, is hard to do. You're strong Suzanne, even if you shed a tear every now and then. Just know I'll be here to catch them." He kissed a stray tear away, to prove his point. She looked at him.

"Thank you Gabriel." She muttered as she leaned against his chest, her head nuzzled in the crock of his neck.

"It's no problem. For the next couple of days I will show you how you should be treated." She looked at him curiously. "You should be treated as a queen, or at the minimum, a princess about to marry her prince." She leaned up a bit and kissed his cheek. He was taken aback by this action. He felt his cheeks heat up just a bit.

"You really are the best." She mumbled as she fell asleep, her head now resting against his chest. He smiled at her and kissed the top of her head, leaning back against the couch. She wondered as she drifted to sleep if maybe they really should be dating. It always looked like it to others.


	7. New Way to Bleed

Suzanne sat in her living room, trying not to shiver badly from the cool breeze that came in through her window. She was studying for a test that wouldn't be administered until that Thursday but figured that she should study since she had nothing better to do. She turned her laptop's speakers up as she was listening to her entire Evanescence song collection to help her concentrate. She was getting into the new stuff and humming along when she heard a knock at her door.

"It's unlocked Gabriel." She knew who it was. She looked at her laptop's clock, yup, right on time. She turned down her speaker's volume and turned to look at him.

Loki looked at the girl in confusion. "Suzanne if you're cold then shut the window. It is October for goodness sake." He shed his outer wear and sat next to her on the couch. She shook her head and looked at him. "I'm fine Gabriel, besides, if I close that window it'll get stuffy in here and the thermostat is only set to 75 but it'll feel like 80 if I close the window." He was getting better at telling when she lied.

"Excuses. You know that you're too busy studying to worry about that." He stood up and walked over to the window and closed it shut. She sighed knowing he was right.

"Alright, I've been studying all day and I forgot" she looked at the clock again, "that it was this late already…" It was nearing 7 in the evening and the sky was dark. Loki then took note of her music which was playing at a comfortable level.

"I don't think you've played this band around me before" he commented as he sat down again. She shrugged.

"I know, I've been meaning to but I just haven't gotten around to it." The last song of their newest album was playing. She knew that her favorite song would be next. "I love the way the lead singer can sing." She started talking absentmindedly as she started to relax and settle into the new atmosphere that was now void of school work. "Hungry?" she asked as she paused the song and started for the kitchen.

~

Loki sat on the couch with Suzanne leaning against him sleeping peacefully. He didn't mind it when she did this. It gave him a chance to think when someone was there; he didn't need to bounce his ideas off of her just her company alone was enough. He was curious as to the next song on her computer and grabbed her mouse and changed the song. He listened to it carefully and closed his eyes. As the song played memories flooded.

_Save your twisted enemy/So you might earn forgiveness/You know your whole world is waiting/So why can't you speak?_

His eyes snapped open as the memories that came to him were those of his past failures. His attempts to rule and then, there were the many thoughts and memories that were about him and his brother, Thor. As the song continued he couldn't shake these thoughts, he couldn't get rid of them. His grip on Suzanne tightened just a bit, trying to remind himself that she was there. That all would work this time.

_I feel it coming over me/I'm still a slave to these dreams/Is this the end of everything?/Or just a new way to bleed?_

The song spoke truthfully for him. He hadn't realized how much of a slave he still was to his dreams. The same dream just different ways of achieving it. Though, Suzanne seemed to be a newer dream of his. That thought he could shake from his mind. 'Lovely, I can shake that thought, but not the memories?' he thought bitterly.

_So go and tell all your friends/That I'm a failure underneath/If it makes you feel like a bigger man/But it's my, my heart, my life/That you're calling a lie/I've played this game before/And I can't take anymore_

He grew angry as he thought about Thor's words to him. Sure he hadn't called him a failure exactly but he might as well have. The Avengers knew this as well. "Why is he so against my life?" he whispered harshly so that he didn't wake his sleeping friend. He stroked her hair trying to calm down. She stirred a bit but didn't awaken. He sighed relieved. He didn't need to explain to her why he was so upset. Had the song really caused this? Music was just as powerful as she had said.

_I feel it coming over me/I'm still a slave to these dreams/Is this the end of everything?/Or just a new way to bleed?_

Loki sat there listening to the song and thought about what it was saying. 'A new way to bleed? Such a strange thought though, it really is just a new way to bleed for if it isn't the end then what is it?' He shook his head, trying to shake the memories and thoughts away again. He was over thinking now. He knew this. Suzanne shifted a bit and Loki could help but smile down at the girl. He kissed her forehead and she seemed to settle back down. "Such a strange woman you are my dear."

_By drifting far beyond the edge/Freedom, freedom/Can't you feel the ground caving in?/Freedom/Give us a reason to believe again_

All he wanted was freedom, but from what? He wasn't sure of this as he started to think about his past again. He wasn't sure what it would accomplish though.

I feel it coming over me/I'm still a slave to these dreams/Is this the end of everything?/Or just a new way to bleed?

He put the song on repeat so that maybe his thoughts would shift and he would think about the different outcomes. He closed his eyes again as he started to think once more. Suzanne snuggled into his chest and he couldn't help but smile. He held her to himself not wanting to let go of the one person that might give him what he wants. Freedom.


End file.
